The specification relates to vehicle charging systems. In particular, the specification relates to a system and method for controlling charging for a vehicle, especially for an electric vehicle (“EV” or “EVs”) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (“PHV” or “PHVs”).
Technologies related to EV and PHV have been developing rapidly, which in turn promotes the popularization of these vehicles. Technology for charging EV and PHV is becoming increasingly important to the development of these vehicles. Users desire to develop an optimized charging plan for their vehicles. However, since the charging for an EV or a PHV depends on behaviors of these vehicles, users need to learn their vehicle's behavior before developing their charging plan. Unfortunately, it is frequently cumbersome for users to accurately capture the behaviors of their vehicle. As a result, these users fail to develop an optimized charging plan for their vehicles.
Furthermore, since the battery capacity of a PHV is smaller relative to other batteries, and since the price of electricity fluctuates throughout the day (e.g., electricity is generally cheaper at night versus during the day), it is possible to take advantage of fluctuations in the cost of electricity to charge the PHV more cost-efficiently. However, such optimization requires an understanding of the behaviors of the PHV as well as the utility pricing information. Unfortunately, many users do not possess this knowledge and thus fail to optimize their vehicle charging plan.